The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1887-07-13

thin legs;
crutches, again began to hobble after his
game, with motions precisely like those OF
the chickens.
But Just as he came up to where the
little black body lay, with its head All
blood stained, he received terrible shove
in the back which obliged him to let 90
his crutches, and which sent him rolling
on his face ten yards away. And Maitre
Chiquct, thoroughly cxasperated, rushed
on the marauder, beat him furiously,
striking like madman-as q robbed
peasant always strikes-thumping with
iist anu Knees all tho Jody of the cripple,
VINO was utterly powcrless to defend him.
self,
Tho field hands ran up and took A turn
IN helping the master to beat the bepuar
Then, when they had all beaten and
kicked him until they were tired, they
lifted him up and carried him to the wood
house, and locked him up there, and sent
for the police
Cloche, bleeding and half dead with
munger, remained upon the ground. Even.
ing came, then night, then morning An
this time he had not had anything to eat.
About noon the police came, and opened
the door Of tho wood house with all pos.
siblc prccnution, for they expected resist
ance, as Mnitre Chiquet had told them the
beggar had made u violent attack upon
him, and that he had only been able to
defend himself with extreme difficulty,
One Of the gendarmea cried,
Here, y0psr-get up out Of that!,a
nut Cloehe could not move himself. He
tried to hoist his body once more on hi
stills and failed, They thought II was ali
TENT, trick, one Of the regular dodge
practiced by thieves; and the two armed
men. men, 81, seising him violently, hfted him
His old fear had como upan htm-tbe
hereditary fear Qf the polieeman's yellow
sword bclt1-iike the fear Of the game in
tho prespnee OF the hunter, the natural
rear or the mouse before the cat. And by
snpcrhuman effort he managed to re,
main erect.
"MarchH' shouted the officer. And he
hobbled plans An the farm people assem-.
bieu to watch him going The women
shook their fist at him; the men ieere,l and
swore at him. He WSs yauglit at last
anyhow, Gvp1 yiddaneei
And he passed away, between his two
eaptors, Hc found desperate energy enough
to keep on dragging himself along until
evening, being too stupeaed even to know
what had happened to him, too terrified
u understand anybhlng.
People passing on the spad stepped Ia
look at him go byi and the peasants NUT.
NMust be seme robbeE"
Howard night they arrived at the chef
lieu Of tho canton. He had never been
that far before, He really had no idea
what had happened, nor what was going
to happen, All these terrible and uncx.
peetel things, new houses, strange faces,
absolutely terrified him out Of his wits,
He never uttered q single word, hapfns
nothing, indeed, to sayi for be had ceased
to be able ia understand anything, De.
sides, during all the years that he had
never talked with any one, he had grad
ually lost the use Of his tongue through
want OF habit; and whatever thoughts he
had left would have been of too confused
n sort to be expressed in words. ''
He was locked up in the village jail. II
never occurred to the policemen that he
might peed something to eat; and they left
him there until next day,
But they found him lying dead on the
moor when they went to question him
carly In the morning. How surprised they
were!-Guy de aupassant-Transleted
for Times-Democrat, ~